If you’ve been following along with our ABCs of Internet Marketing Success you know about establishing a presence online and driving qualified traffic to your website. With those tasks complete the real work begins: turning those visitors into buyers.

How to tell if your website is really working:

Quick... what’s your website’s conversion rate? Not sure?

The conversion rate of your website (the percentage of visitors who make a purchase; sign up for a newsletter; download a report or whatever your objective may be), is really the most important statistic when it comes to understanding the health of your website because it’s how you measure your marketing Return on Investment (ROI).

If you didn’t have an answer to our question, you’re not alone. Despite the importance of conversion, we’ve found that it’s one of the least understood measurements among the small business owners we speak to every day. Business owners who thought getting a website would improve their bottom line, but ended up being disappointed by the lack of results.

As Internet Consultants we’ve learned from experience the secrets that can unlock the full potential of your website. Measuring and continually improving your web site’s conversion rate is a top priority, and there are a number of ways we use to do this. These include (among other techniques) building your credibility and delivering a positive online experience to your customers.

Close the credibility gap

Consumers can be skittish, especially online. The slightest sign of impropriety can send them back to their search engine results to find another site which may have a more professional and trustworthy appearance, even if it means paying a little more for the same product or service.

Simple things like prominently displaying contact information and telephone numbers for your business shows openness and alleviates concerns consumers may have about who they’re buying from.

Posting testimonials and case studies from existing clients on your website are also great ways to improve your credibility score, but make sure these are specific and genuine. Today’s savvy consumers know how to spot phonies.

Look like a million bucks (without spending it)

Your website’s design, layout and overall presentation are other important factors that affect your conversion rate.

No one likes to shop in a store that’s disorganized, run down or poorly staffed. Customers want to find what they’re looking for easily, and when they have questions they expect a knowledgeable associate to be available to assist them.

This expectation is also true online.

Confusing layouts, incomplete product information and broken links account for the majority of customers abandoning a website even though they had already made the decision to purchase. Your goal is sales, so make sure there are as few roadblocks between your products and the “register” as possible.

Make it quick and convenient to buy from you and they will!

So what kind of results can you expect from increasing your conversion rate? Try our WSI Website Traffic Conversion Rate Calculator to see how improving conversion—even by just a few percentage points—can dramatically increase your revenues. Combine better conversion with even more website traffic and you’ll see the kind of significant impact our Internet marketing strategies can have on your business.